Overview

PneumaCult™-Ex Plus Medium is a defined, serum- and BPE-free cell culture medium that supports more expansion of primary human airway epithelial cells at each passage, compared to other commercially available expansion media. This medium also supports at least two additional passages of cell expansion with better differentiation potential, defined as the ability to form a pseudostratified mucociliary epithelium at the air-liquid interface (ALI) using PneumaCult™-ALI Medium (Catalog #05001).

Together, PneumaCult™-Ex Plus and PneumaCult™-ALI constitute a fully integrated BPE-free culture system for in vitro human airway modeling. This robust and defined system is a valuable tool for basic respiratory research, toxicity studies, and drug development.

Advantages:

• A defined, serum- and BPE-free cell culture medium that delivers consistent performance
• PneumaCult™-Ex Plus Medium supports more cell expansion at each passage compared to other commercially available expansion media
• When used together with PneumaCult™-ALI Medium, PneumaCult™-Ex Plus Medium supports better ALI differentiation potential even after extended passaging compared to other commercially available expansion media

Product Applications

This product is designed for use in the following research area(s) as part of the highlighted workflow stage(s). Explore these workflows to learn more about the other products we offer to support each research area.

Data and Publications

Data

Figure 1. Overview of the PneumaCult™ culture system

Expansion of human bronchial epithelial cells (HBECs) in submerged culture is performed with PneumaCult™-Ex Plus or PneumaCult™-Ex. During the early
“Expansion Phase” of the air-liquid interface (ALI) culture procedure, PneumaCult™-Ex Plus or PneumaCult™-Ex is applied to the apical and basal chambers. Upon reaching confluence, the culture is air-lifted by removing the culture medium from both chambers, and adding PneumaCult™-ALI to the basal chamber only. Differentiation into a pseudostratified mucociliary epithelium is obtained following 21-28 days of incubation and can be maintained for more than one year.

Figure 2. HBECs cultured in PneumaCult™-Ex Plus have a faster expansion rate compared to those cultured in PneumaCult™-Ex and Bronchial Epithelial Growth Media

Commercially available, cryopreserved P1 HBECs were seeded into PneumaCult™-Ex Plus, PneumaCult™-Ex, or Bronchial Epithelial Growth Media. Cells cultured in PneumaCult™-Ex Plus have a significantly higher proliferation rate over 9 passages compared to those maintained in either control medium (n=6).

Figure 3. Representative morphology of HBECs

Representative live culture images for P4 HBECs cultured in PneumaCult™-Ex Plus, PneumaCult™-Ex, or Bronchial Epithelial Growth Media. Cells cultured in PneumaCult™-Ex Plus (A) are smaller and more tightly packed than those cultured in PneumaCult™-Ex (B) or Bronchial Epithelial Growth Media (C). All images were taken using a 10X objective.

Figure 6. HBECs cultured in PneumaCult™-Ex Plus differentiate into a pseudostratified mucociliary epithelium at later passages with the use of PneumaCult™-ALI

P4 HBECs were seeded and passaged using PneumaCult™-Ex Plus, PneumaCult™-Ex, or Bronchial Epithelial Growth Media, followed by ALI differentiation at each passage (P5-8) with the use of PneumaCult™-ALI. The ALI cultures at 28 days post air-lift were fixed and stained with antibodies for cilia marker AC-tubulin (red) and the goblet cell marker Muc5AC (green). The nuclei are counterstained with DAPI (blue). All images were taken using a 20X objective.

STEMCELL TECHNOLOGIES INC.’S QUALITY MANAGEMENT SYSTEM IS CERTIFIED TO ISO 13485. PRODUCTS ARE FOR RESEARCH USE ONLY AND NOT INTENDED FOR HUMAN OR ANIMAL DIAGNOSTIC OR THERAPEUTIC USES UNLESS OTHERWISE STATED.